Don Quichotte (Don Quixote) is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn.

Massenet's comédie-héroïque, like so many other dramatized versions of the story of Don Quixote, relates only indirectly to the great novel by Miguel de Cervantes. The immediate inspiration was Le chevalier de la longue figure, a play by the poet Jacques Le Lorrain first performed in Paris in 1904. In this version of the story, the simple farm girl Aldonza (a.k.a.Dulcinea) of the original novel becomes the more sophisticated Dulcinée, a flirtatious local beauty inspiring the infatuated old man's exploits.

Conceiving originally Don Quichotte to be a three-act opera, Massenet started to compose it in 1909 at a time when he, suffering from acute rheumatic pains, spent more of his time in bed than out of it, and composition of Don Quichotte became, in his words, a sort of "soothing balm." In order to concentrate on that new work, he interrupted composition of his other opera, Bacchus.Despite its five acts, there is under two hours of music in the opera.

Massenet identified personally with his comic-heroic protagonist, as he was in love with Lucy Arbell who sang Dulcinée at the first performance. He was then 67 and died just two years later. The role of Don Quichotte was one of the most notable achievements of the Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin, for whom the role was specifically conceived. The opera was one of six commissioned from Massenet by Raoul Gunsbourg for the Opéra de Monte Carlo, and was premiered there on 19 February 1910.

The Stubborn Lovers (Tvrdé palice), Op. 17, is a one-act comic opera in 16 scenes by Antonín Dvořák. It was written in 1874 to the libretto of the Czech lawyer and writer Dr. Josef Štolba (1846–1930). In English, the work is also known as The Pig-Headed Peasants.

Two village neighbours, widower Vávra and widow Říhová came to an agreement that their children, Toník and Lenka will be married, but without their approval. The godfather of the youngsters, old Řeřicha, knows that they love each other, but they are too stubborn to yield to any pressure. The young pair refuses to obey their parents and the cunning Řeřicha tries to find a way out. He suggests to the lovers that actually old Vávra (Toník’s father) wants to marry Lenka, while Říhová (Lenka’s mother) is to get Toník as a husband. Řeřicha arranges a secret meeting, first with Lenka then with Toník, and they spy on the meetings of their counterparts and their alleged old suitors. Toník and Lenka start to be jealous of each other. Řeřicha’s successful trick spreads fast through the village and the parents become targets of ridicule. Toník and Lenka regret their stubbornness and admit their love. Finally, Řeřicha admits he set the trap only for the sake of uniting the "stubborn lovers", and everything concludes in a happy ending.

This is more operatic than oratorio-like and of course is the model for Samson et Dalila. This is Liszt at the summit of his orchestral powers. The structure is an outstanding example of the use of thematic transformation and binds it all together with miraculous orchestration. Truly, Liszt's best orchestration. It may not have some of the more unusual combinations one finds in the tone-poems, but the overall texture suits the subject perfectly. e Nietsche found more incense than roses in this oratorio. The mystical part of Liszt's musical personality is here manifested along with his operatic side, creating a compelling and moving work of art. One of Liszt's best works, and, I might add, one of the most appreciated during his lifetime. Its neglect today is without reason.
Donizetti. L'Elixir d'amour.2006. Paris.Heidi Grant Murphy (Adina). Paul Groves (Nemorino). Laurent Naouri (Belcore). Ambrogio Maestri (Dulcamara). Dir.: E. Gardner https://rapidshare.com/files/1469937438/ElisirBastille_14.VI.06_acte1.mp3https://rapidshare.com/files/571597881/ElisirBastille_14.VI.06_ acte2.mp3

Famed dramatic tenor Alexander Dedik was born and raised in the former Soviet Union, where he was lucky enough to have a gift that enabled him to rise to a pre-eminent position in his nation's hearts. He graduated from the Novosibirsk Glinka Conservatory in 1970 and then entered into the Tchaikovsky competition and was one of the prize-winners. This propelled him into the national limelight, where he quickly rose, becoming a regular leading performer at the internationally famous opera house, The Mariinsky Theatre. During this time, he sang many roles, including the Italian repertoire's most dramatic, Otello, which garnered him an international reputation that follows him to this day. He has performed leading roles internationally at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Covent Garden in London, England, The Hamburg Opera in Hamburg, Germany, Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain, the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow, Russia and many others. His repertoire consists of 42 leading roles, including Lohengrin from Lohengrin by Wagner, Otello from Otello and Radames from Aïda by Verdi, Calaf from Turandot and Des Grieux from Manon Lescaut by Puccini, Hermann from Pique Dame and Lensky from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, and Hoffmann from Les Contes D'Hoffmann by Offenbach. Alexander has had bestowed upon him and been given the honored and highest awards for artistic and musical achievement, namely the People's Artist of Russia in 1983 (awarded by then President Mikhail Gorbachev), the People's Artist of Byelorussia in 1979 and the Honored Arts worker of Poland in 1978. He has performed with some of the world's most recognized singers and conductors including Valery Gergiev, Olga Borodina and many others. Alexander has been a performing duo with his wife, Tatiana Dedik, who was accompanying him when he won a prize at the Tchaikovsky and Glinka Competitions.